This is http://www.essayz.com/a9011261.htm Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words. {Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.} ========================================================== %CONCEPTUAL AFFECTIVE COMMUNAL SOCIAL CONTEXTS SEX 901126 People engage in and/or avoid sexual activity within a wide variety of conceptual/social/communal contexts. The personal and communal meaning, significance and consequences of sexual activity depend to a large extent upon the character of the contexts within which the activity occurs; not merely upon the objective details of the activity. Objective scientific analysis lacks the power to clarify the personal and communal meaning, significance and consequences of sexual activity; in large part because of scientists' compulsive preoccupation with objectivity to the exclusion of reflexive considerations. Honestly reflexive consideration of the connections between the wide variety of conceptual/social/communal contexts, and people's experiences of personal-and- communal [meaning, significance and consequences] of their sexual activities will likely lead to wiser understanding and decision-making with regard to sexual activity; than have [dogmatic, authoritarian, addictive, codependent, collusive, analytic, systematic and objective] manners of creating contexts for sexual [visions, dreams, fantasies, desires, anticipations, temptations, activities, memories, shame, guilt, and etc.] A wide variety of different honestly---reflexive contextual---considerations can lead to wise understandings-and-decisions in contexts where any combination of exclusively objective and analytic procedures is bound to lead to tragic consequences. The character of the context within which sexual activity occurs sets the stage for the range of possible experiences of personal-and-communal meaning, significance and consequences of the activities which do occur within the context. Some contexts limit the range of what is possible, so that tragic possibilities are the only ones which are included. Other contexts open up the range of the possible, so that meaningfully creative-and- integrative possibilities are included; and the probability of tragic possibilities is greatly reduced. Which possibilities are fulfilled, flows as much from the character of the existing contexts for sexual activities; as from the individual [thoughts, fantasies, dreams, visions, anticipations, desires, wishes, expectations, decisions, actions, memories, regrets, guilts, and shame] of participants in sexual activities and repressions. Responsibility for the consequences of sexual activity, cannot meaningfully be placed upon individuals apart from just considerations of the contexts within which sexual activity occurs; for such contexts set the stage for the range of possible experiences of personal-and-communal meaning, significance and consequences of the activities which do occur within the context. Some contexts limit the range to the possible, so that tragic possibilities are the only ones which are included. Other contexts open up the range of the possible, so that meaningfully creative- and-integrative possibilities are included; and the probability of tragic possibilities is greatly reduced. Which possibilities are fulfilled flows as much from the character of the existing contexts for sexual activities; as from the individual [thoughts, fantasies, dreams, visions, anticipations, desires, wishes, expectations, decisions, actions, memories, regrets, guilts, and shame] of participants in sexual activities and repressions. Responsibility for the consequences of sexual activity cannot meaningfully be placed upon individuals, apart from fair considerations of the contexts within which they were constrained to live. Justice depends upon honest- reflexive-consideration of contextual constraints, as well as upon individual decisions. Contextual constraints can violate principles of justice and love, when the operative contextual constraints inhibit personal and communal integrity. Individuals cannot helpfully be held accountable for the consequences of contextual constraints which they cannot control. Communally holding individuals accountable for the consequences of contextual constraints which they as individuals cannot control; will likely lead to tragic consequences which the community as a whole cannot control. Some conceptions of accountability create disintegrative contexts which no individual or community can control. Such contexts can be transcended and transformed only through cooperative communal efforts to create more integrative contexts. The violation of contextual constraints by creative individuals may appear to be irresponsible to the members of the community who live within the constraints; yet in a transcendent way such creative violations may be essential steps towards higher levels of personal and communal integrity. However, violations are unlikely to be helpful if the violations occur in the absence of true love; for in the absence of both honesty and charity very little which is helpful can occur. In the absence of true love violations of contextual constraints are likely to involve destructive violence which undermines long term personal and communal integrity. Love and honesty help to create the context for integrative transcendence of disintegrative contextual constraints. Such transcendence will often be perceived as violence to people who have not yet participated in the transcendence within the context of honest love. People who participate in such transcendence within the context of honest love, will appear as outlaws to people who are trapped within the contexts of collusive, addictive and codependent systems which are defined in legalistic and moralistic ways. Such transcendent people will be perceived as threats to the social order, and so also a threat to powerful people who benefit from the existing social order. The efforts of powerful people to maintain their positions of exclusive power and personal advantage tend to inhibit the development of personal and communal integrity. Such disintegrative efforts do not merit respect, and so the efforts should be revealed for what the efforts are, in ways which are both honest and charitable. Within honest and charitable contexts disintegrative efforts can be transcended. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================